]]>Well done to Fred and Finn, who finished their Land’s End to John o’Groats run on the all electric ‘Charging Bullet’ (www.charging-bullet.co.uk) just last week.

They send their thanks to anyone who helped fund the expedition through their crowdfunding campaign, you should have been receiving detailed updates as the adventure progressed but for anyone who hasn’t been keeping up to date; it went pretty well!

Departing from Land’s End they found their first stop was for lunch, rather than to charge the bike; something of a relief as delays toward the end of the build had meant only a hundred miles of testing. The real-world range is about 50 miles, although the bike is based on first-generation Nissan Leaf batteries and upgrading to modern equivalents would easily bring that up to 70. That’s only five years of progress in the electric world!

Their adventure took them up over Dartmoor to Somerset, where they called in to the first of many contributors. While on the road, film maker Finn Varney (http://www.finnvarney.co.uk) will not only be documenting the bike’s progress but recording the state of change in the transport industry as a whole, as people work towards a system that is truly sustainable. This first visit was to Ariel, known for their nimble sports cars rather than fuel sipping hatchbacks but their next car is to be an all-electric 1200hp supercar. When asked if they were making the move to help save the planet the designer just shrugged and told the boys nope, it’s just the only way to get the performance that they want!

Heading up through the country other people have told them similar stories. There’s the Bristol bus company who has found that moving away from diesel to biogas has not only cut carbon dioxide emissions by a whopping 80% but has led to cheaper, more reliable buses. And the taxi drivers of Dundee are being forced into Nissan Leaf taxis and finding them easier to use and cheaper to run.

It’s not all been easy, though, and the weather has been playing autumnal tricks leading to an ‘off’ on ice for Fred in the Peak District; he was unhurt and the bike rode on with a few minor bends and scuffs. It got even worse as they headed North, eventually derailing their Highland hopes and leading to a massive detour around the Cairgorms to avoid snow at high altitudes. He says at least he was warm in the Belstaff Tourist Trophy jacket we supplied before they set off!

It all turned good by the top and the sun was shining as the Charging Bullet descended into John o’Groat’s. The 57 year old bike, filled with second-hand batteries and designed for the daily commute has completed 1,450 miles on electricity alone. Fred tells me it did run out once, due to a navigation error on the approach to Edinburgh and the van of shame had to be called out for the final mile. A quick calculation makes that a 99.9% success rate – better than most old bikes!

So what’s next? Fred says he’ll be happily putting the Charging Bullet into daily use as it was first intended. 2p per mile looks increasingly attractive as the cost of petrol creeps up and he describes the quiet, fuss free ride as ‘the distilled essence of motorcycling’. He seems pretty convinced this won’t be his last electric bike build and is offering a conversion service for your Enfield, or any other suitable bike, at Spaven Engineering (http://spaven-engineering.co.uk). If you would like to find out more drop him an email at:

fred@Spaven-Engineering.co.uk

The journey is not yet over for film maker Finn (http://www.finnvarney.co.uk) either and he’ll be spending the winter months editing the documentary together for release early next year. For more information when this becomes available keep an eye on:

]]>The Restoration of ‘Sol’ The African Rally Morgan +4 (Chapter 4)https://www.holden.co.uk/blog/the-final-restoration-chapter-sol-the-morgan-4/
Thu, 16 Aug 2018 08:55:31 +0000http://blog.holden.co.uk/?p=1860As those who have been following our story will be only too aware, the deadline has now passed and Sol has set off on the first leg of the journey, but what happened following the last video instalment? Work continued at an ever gathering pace to get Sol to a point where the car was...

As those who have been following our story will be only too aware, the deadline has now passed and Sol has set off on the first leg of the journey, but what happened following the last video instalment?

Work continued at an ever gathering pace to get Sol to a point where the car was ready to go to be trimmed, this involved making and fitting a wiring harness, made by The Wiring Harness Company just a few miles from our Bromyard Workshop, collecting and installing both a fuel tank and a radiator and ensuring that anything needing fitting or drilling both under and indeed on top of trim had been drilled. One item that roved a bit of a challenge at this point was a mounting bar for the seat belts – the car being fitted with 4 point competition type harnesses – as this has to be fitted to the rear wheel arch, but of course, there was no trim on the wheel arches, so after a couple of discussions with the trimmer, a suitable gap was left and holes drilled!

Sol was now ready to go to Custom Coach Trimming, again a local company, run by an ex-Morgan Factory Trimmer who set about the interior, making door cards, wheel arch tops and sides, a gearbox cover and sundry other bits and bobs. Custom Coach Trimming was also going to make a hood, but this was to come at a later date.

Once trimmed, the car returned to the Holden Workshop and work pressed on to get it all together. The braking system pipework was checked over before being filled with fluid and the air bled out of it, providing us with a fully functioning braking system. Once this was done, the front wings were fitted and the lights wired up and tested. Finally, at the front, the cowl was added and the bonnet fitted to line the cowl up correctly. The bonnet was then removed to allow for better access to the mechanicals. Correct water hoses and an exhaust silencer together with a tailpipe were all sourced from Melvyn Rutter. Our local Motor Factor was able to source a length of flexible exhaust pipe, which was used to connect the manifold to the silencer, in order to offer an amount of movement to the exhaust and remove any stresses that may come from rougher roads.

At this point, Sol went back to Custom Coach Trimming for the hood and side screens to be fitted. Here we discovered that the windscreen was fitted at the incorrect angle, so had to make a hurried correction, thus enabling the use of standard Morgan side screens, a decision which saved time and the need for a custom made set! It soon became clear that the original pattern hood frame would not work with the addition of the rollover bar, so this was put to one side – it will be used for the Interim +4 project that is in the Workshop as the hood frame for this has all but returned to nature! Meanwhile, a more modern Morgan hood frame was modified to fit, providing enough support for the hood and giving a line that was pleasing to the eye from the side, whilst also being able to offer enough headroom inside.

Once the car returned to the Holden Workshop, engine, gearbox and axle oil was added, together with water to allow us to start the engine. Loose ends of wiring and pipework were clipped up safely out of the way and tidied up whilst the fluids settled in. A small drip of oil became evident under the engine – difficult to see as it was beautifully clean – seemingly coming from the sump plug and dripping on to the sump guard that had been fitted. Applying a spanner revealed the plug to be tight. Careful inspection of the sump pan, having removed the now slightly oily sump guard showed a dent, possibly from an impact at some point, or an over enthusiastic mechanic jacking the car up under the sump, which was leaking! This was deemed to be somewhat less than ideal and all the clean oil was hurriedly drained out! The sump pan, once removed, revealed a small crack inside that had gone unnoticed. Fortunately, the sump from the TR2 engine that is destined for the Interim car was on the shelf, having been cleaned ready for the engine build at a future date, so this was commandeered, fitted and refilled. No more leaking!

Now we could finally start the engine! After spinning the engine over without plugs to obtain oil pressure and roughly setting the ignition timing, plug was refitted, leads connected in the correct order and the fuel system primed. Happily, we were soon making noise and filling the Workshop with the smells of a freshly built engine running for the first time!

As the hour was advancing and progress was good – it ran and sounded really good, was all together and would be driveable in the morning – it was time for home. Arrival the next morning, however, was a bit of a low, as the contents of the radiator were found on the Workshop floor! The water pump it seemed, was leaking from the gland seal within. Hurried phone calls were made to Moss Europe to try to locate a TR water pump. Our nearest proved to be in Bristol, so Charlotte sallied forth to go and get it. A chance phone call with a colleague, who as it turned out was in Bristol and a mere 5 minutes away from the Moss premises helped a great deal, and the 2 were able to meet at half distance and exchange parts. By lunchtime the new pump was installed and the front end of the car going back together. All we had to remove was the radiator and front cowl box, the outer panel staying in place!

So, all back together and holding fluids, Sol was removed from the ramp and set on the nice flat Workshop floor to set the front wheel alignment and adjust the ride height on the front suspension. With this done, it was time for a drive around the yard. It seemed to be ok, although adjustment to the clutch was required as it slipped a little, and some ignition and carburettor tuning was required. With this done, we set off firstly around the yard, then up the service road around Linton Trading Estate, and after a few further adjustments, a trip up the road! The clutch required a little more adjustment and a few carburettor tweaks before a bigger journey, from Bromyard, along the main A44 towards Worcester and around a favourite and testing route. Those familiar with the area will have heard of Ankerdine Hill, used years ago as a hill climb course and a real test for an engine’s state of tune. Although going gently as the engine was fresh, it pulled well and reached the top with ease.

Adjustments to the front dampers improved the handling characteristics greatly and the journey back to the Workshop ended with a broad grin and a feeling of great satisfaction that all worked well and was getting better with every mile.

After a thorough check over and a few more little adjustments, further and longer journeys over Herefordshire Roads were covered, before loading Sol with the kit that had been put ready, the last minute realisation that the fire extinguisher needed permanently bolting in, before the journey to the shipping company who was handling the first ‘leg’ of the adventure.

]]>The Charging Bullet: Crowdfundinghttps://www.holden.co.uk/blog/the-charging-bullet-crowdfunding/
Wed, 01 Aug 2018 09:57:02 +0000http://blog.holden.co.uk/?p=1843With their planned Land’s End to John o’Groat’s run fast approaching, we called in to Fred at Spaven Engineering to see how he’s getting along with his electric bike; the Charging Bullet. Since our visit last month, the bike has come a long way yet looks like he’s back at square one! Following the successful...

]]>With their planned Land’s End to John o’Groat’s run fast approaching, we called in to Fred at Spaven Engineering to see how he’s getting along with his electric bike; the Charging Bullet.

Since our visit last month, the bike has come a long way yet looks like he’s back at square one! Following the successful dry build and testing it has now been stripped right back for painting and powder-coating ahead of the final assembly. The only evidence of the hard work to date are shelves of batteries and electrical gubbins. Quite a few of the smaller parts have been finished now, such as a set of aluminium covers for the various battery boxes and the vital homemade ‘state of charge’ meter (the finished bike’s fuel guage) sits on the bench awaiting one final resistor.

There has also been a lot happening outside the workshop and filmmaker Finn Varney , who is documenting the build and long distance adventure, has been back getting the final shots for the next short update film. As Fred rides the length of the country he will be visiting fellow engineers he has met while researching and building the bike, and filming their projects to show how much progress is being made in cleaning up our transport infrastructure. If you would like to support the making of this film (and receive some exclusive Charging Bullet goodies in return) check out their kickstarter crowdfunding page or for regular updates keep an eye on:

]]>An American Classic – Ian Hadley’s 1970 Chrysler 300https://www.holden.co.uk/blog/an-american-classic-ian-hadleys-1970-chrysler-300/
Wed, 20 Jun 2018 11:16:23 +0000http://blog.holden.co.uk/?p=1835This week it has been a pleasure to receive a guest post from Ian Hadley, who took a leap of faith and purchased a 1970 Chrysler 300 from the States, relying only on photographs and a bit of courage to seal the deal. Read his personal account below: “The car was a 1970 Chrysler 300,...

]]>This week it has been a pleasure to receive a guest post from Ian Hadley, who took a leap of faith and purchased a 1970 Chrysler 300 from the States, relying only on photographs and a bit of courage to seal the deal. Read his personal account below:

“The car was a 1970 Chrysler 300, 2 door hardtop (Coupe), 440 Cubic Inches (7.2 Litres), 350 hp, 480 ft lbs of stump pulling torque. Near 20 ft long, 7 ft wide and weighs just north of 2 tons. Three speed automatic transmission (manual not available for this model). She had allegedly been a one family owned car and spent her entire life in and around the environs of Pasadena (a suburb of Los Angeles, California). Originally purchased new by the vendor’s great aunt. I guess that makes her the original “Little Old Lady from Pasadena”! There are two basic types of American car which every enthusiast finds desirable. The first I would term the “Daddy’s Girl Car”; usually a sporty model with upgraded brakes, handling package and all the toys but with the base engine. Just begging for an engine swap. The second I call the “Sunday Go To Meeting Car”; a personal luxury coupe or sedan, little used, low mileage.

With 56k genuine miles on the clock, this old girl of a Chrysler falls into the latter category. Whilst not my first rodeo concerning the importation of a car from The States, one never quite knows what to expect until the vehicle gets here. Relying entirely on photographs and the vendor’s description requires a great leap of faith and is not to be recommended to those faint of heart. In this case she lived up to expectations and I find myself well pleased with my purchase.

The car proved to be totally rust free, an advantage of importing from a dry State. Unusually for a 300, the car was not highly optioned having no Air Conditioning, no Power Windows, and just the basic Bench Seat interior. I managed to extract the Broadcast Sheet from it’s under seat hiding place and discovered the car came with the “fuel economy” rear axle, a fact I found hilarious! Having been maintained in an excellent mechanical state, she needed very little to pass her first MOT. The rear indicators required a rewire and colour change. The washer bottle was non existent. Old technology plastic bottles do not last and are virtually impossible to obtain NOS or used. The old sealed beam headlights needed improvement too. Now in the old days, when headlights came in standard sizes, one only needed to visit the local automotive factor for an off the shelf replacement. Not so easy in the 21st Century.

These fine folks carry a range of suitable replacements, enabling one to convert your classic to utilise more modern halogen lighting. Whilst I was shopping, I purchased a generic aftermarket washer kit too. Not being a matching numbers aficionado, the lack of originality does not bother me. Suffice to say, MOT passed first time! And finally, just to answer the often-asked questions; you can get four bodies in the trunk and it does 12 – 14 mpg on a run which falls to 5 – 6 mpg in stop start driving. If two litres did it for me, I’d have got me a Pepsi!”

If you’d like to share your classic car story, please email us today on charlotte@holden.co.uk.

]]>Charging Bullet Update: Test Ridehttps://www.holden.co.uk/blog/charging-bullet-update-test-ride/
Tue, 19 Jun 2018 12:29:13 +0000http://blog.holden.co.uk/?p=1829A lot has happened at Spaven Engineering in the last few months and the Charging Bullet has progressed from a collection of parts to something vaguely resembling a motorcycle. The plan to convert an old 350cc Enfield Bullet to pure electric power and ride it from Land’s End to John O’Groat’s is coming together, slowly...

]]>A lot has happened at Spaven Engineering in the last few months and the Charging Bullet has progressed from a collection of parts to something vaguely resembling a motorcycle. The plan to convert an old 350cc Enfield Bullet to pure electric power and ride it from Land’s End to John O’Groat’s is coming together, slowly but surely.

Since we last spoke to Fred, he has finished welding up the main component; the subframe which bolts to the original Enfield engine mounts to hold the motor, batteries and all the electrical gubbins. This has now been mounted in the 1961 Enfield Bullet Frame, the motor and a small, tester battery pack was installed before wiring could begin and tangles of multicoloured spaghetti began pouring from the bike.

Finally, with the bike up on stands to keep the rear wheel off the ground the ‘ignition’ switch was flicked. The Battery Management System (BMS) went through it’s obligatory cell checks before turning on the main contactor (a giant relay) a half a second later. This satisfying clunk signalled that the battery power was ready to be unleashed and a gentle twist of the grip sent a swarm of electrons down the hefty 350 amp cable to the motor. With the bike still largely unpainted and still lacking (among quite a few other things) a front brake, it was time to wheel it outside for a spin around the yard.

The best way to describe the ride is: easy, the Enfield’s laid back handling works perfectly with the zero fuss electric drive. The clutchless operation doesn’t take much getting used to but I did keep feeling my toes reach for a gear lever that isn’t there! Handling was excellent and, at least up to 25mph or so in the yard, the bike felt stable and controllable just as it should. Of course brand new bearings, tyres, forks etc. help enormously and everything felt tight and new making for a very confident ride. It’s never going to win races but the easygoing feel and lack of fuss make the bullet a really user friendly machine and it should fit the bill as a daily commute down country lanes or city streets.

The bike is far from finished, however, and Fred’s still got a lot to do before the big Land’s End to John O’Groat’s run later in the year, from fabricating covers that will keep the Scottish rain away from the batteries to fitting the instruments: a speedo and State of Charge Meter, effectively the electronic ‘fuel’ gauge.

]]>The Restoration of ‘Sol’ The African Rally Morgan +4 (Chapter 3)https://www.holden.co.uk/blog/an-update-on-sol-the-plus-4-headed-for-africa/
Wed, 13 Jun 2018 17:14:19 +0000http://blog.holden.co.uk/?p=1810A year ago, we introduced you to ‘Sol’, a tired Plus 4 in desperate need of some restoration. Over the last 12 months, the team at Holden Morgan have been working tirelessly to restore sorry Sol in time for RallyRound’s Rally Africa. You can read more about the steps taken to this stage here and...

]]>A year ago, we introduced you to ‘Sol’, a tired Plus 4 in desperate need of some restoration. Over the last 12 months, the team at Holden Morgan have been working tirelessly to restore sorry Sol in time for RallyRound’s Rally Africa. You can read more about the steps taken to this stage here and here.

Below, you’ll find a video of Jeremy and Adam demonstrating the latest project developments from the Holden Morgan workshop. We don’t have long to go and very much look forward to sharing with you this amazing car’s journey through Africa in October.

]]>The Restoration of ‘Sol’ The African Rally Morgan +4 (Chapter 2)https://www.holden.co.uk/blog/april-update-on-sol-the-african-rally-4/
Fri, 20 Apr 2018 10:11:03 +0000http://blog.holden.co.uk/?p=1774Since I last wrote about progress on Sol, a good deal has happened, as following on from the making of the brake lines the car was despatched to VSM for the wings to be fitted. We had sourced a set of new Superform wings from the factory. Not strictly correct, or quite the right style...

]]>Since I last wrote about progress on Sol, a good deal has happened, as following on from the making of the brake lines the car was despatched to VSM for the wings to be fitted. We had sourced a set of new Superform wings from the factory. Not strictly correct, or quite the right style for Sol, but more readily available and also having a link to Holden, in that Holden Aluminium (now part of the Sapa Group) form the extruded outer edge wing beading for Superform. In fact, before Holden Aluminium relocating to Bromyard, the wing beading was formed in the very building in which Sol is being restored!

In an amazingly short period of four days, Steve had managed to trim and fit all four wings, Sol being retrieved on the fourth day to take up a position on the Morgan Sports Car Club stand at the Practical Classics Restoration Show. Sol gained much admiration and questions about the rebuild, the specification, the general construction of a Morgan, as well as the ever-present ‘I thought these cars had a wooden chassis’ question!

Following the Show were four days until Sol could return to VSM, so as the wings were fitted the opportunity was taken to fit the wing stays. Front wings are supported at the centre line of the front wheel, the other end being attached to the top of the crosshead. Previously, making these has been something akin to Blacksmithing, as the Factory supplied items were only ever somewhere near to fitting, in that there was a bolt hole at each end and a shape something like the wing profile. However, nowadays things are different! Someone at Morgan has discovered that by making the bracket a shape much more like the wing and putting slotted holes at each end, one part can fit a multitude of cars! This main front stay aside, all the rest had to be made from flat steel strip. There is still one more to do, but this can only be done once there is an exhaust system in place.

While ferreting through a box of parts for the car, we found the door locks which thankfully had been rescued off the old doors. With a little bit of a cleanup and some light oil they appeared to work well and showed few signs of much wear, so as the doors were currently being held shut with a small piece of wood and a screw, they were fitted. Not without having to make a packing piece from a piece of thin steel! A little careful adjustment and they latched shut, albeit being a bit on the tight side – but as the body settles and once it is firmly bolted to the chassis the locks will no doubt need some more fettling to get them spot on.

Having done these relatively minor tasks, I tackled the brake line across the back axle and the main line from the front of the car to the rear. This runs down the chassis rail on the passenger side of the car, opposite to the master cylinder which makes the pipe run somewhat longer, but it does keep it well away from the exhaust!

With these few little tasks completed, Easter was upon us, and the following Tuesday Sol was due back to VSM for the bonnet to be made. Dodging the ever-present rain showers, Sol made the journey from the Workshop to VSM without getting wet or dirty. Amazingly!

Just over a week later, a phone call to say that Sol was done and could be collected was a bit of a surprise, as the anticipation was that it would be at least another week. Steve had done the job quicker than he had suggested and it was ready.

The bonnets and cowl were now fitted, the cowl box had been made and bolted in – this insignificant sounding and fiddly to fit bit of sheet metal is the part that holds the front of the valances together and provides the mounting point for the Morgan grille. Steve had also fitted the windscreen for us and at the same time cut the slots for the windscreen wiper wheelbox spindles in the scuttle. Both of these jobs being far easier when a template and plenty of experience are readily available! Getting the angle of the windscreen wrong can affect the aesthetics of the car, not to mention cause a nuisance when it comes to fitting side screens.

This the brings us to the point where some of the ‘furniture’ can be fitted. So far, a pair of headlights have been fitted, using period correct 3-adjuster steel headlamp bowls instead of the more modern plastic option, a set of front indicators added, which is something that we don’t think Sol would have had from new, but are being fitted from a safety point of view. With these installed, Sol has somehow taken a leap towards becoming a complete car!

Wiper wheelboxes have been put in place, together with a new piece of tube for the wiper rack. This comes as a lovely straight piece of tube and has to be carefully cut and shaped to fit, ensuring not to kink the tube or bend it too tightly, otherwise the rack simply won’t run smoothly and the motor will be straining to operate correctly. A modern 2 speed motor has been fitted in place of the original single speed one to hopefully provide better wipers, although we are hoping the trip through Africa will not see too much rain, you never know!

Another job was to fit the tread rubbers to the wings. These comprise a very soft aluminium extrusion that is bolted to the wing with plenty of small coach bolts, which are then hidden by the rubber strip. These have had to be ordered from the Factory, so a couple of old ones that had been replaced on a car in the Workshop were used as templates.

The final job that brings us currently up to date has been to fit the bellhousing to the gearbox and overhaul the clutch operating mechanism. Those readers familiar with a Moss box in a Morgan will understand this, others may not. Essentially, the Moss gearbox is mounted remotely from the engine at the end of an approximately 2 feet long Magnesium bellhousing. At the flywheel end there is a cast aluminium sleeve that contains a carbon clutch thrust pad, this slides within the magnesium casting to operate the clutch by pushing against a steel pad in the centre of the clutch cover. The sleeve is connected via a mechanical linkage to the pedal and has 5 separate pivot points, each one wears and contributes towards the linkage being sloppy, add this to a lack of grease having been applied to the grease point where the aluminium sleeve slides and the end result is a clutch that is terrible to operate at best.

The cure for the lack of grease – and hence the slide for the aluminium sleeve becoming oval – is to machine the magnesium casting back to round and press in a piece of seamless steel tube. This job was entrusted to GEE, who helpfully had one available as an exchange! The rest of the linkage was overhauled and new pivot pins and split pins fitted to make it all work correctly. Once the bellhousing was bolted to the gearbox with the connecting shaft fitted first (the muff coupling on the nose of the gearbox input shaft does not fit through the aluminium clutch sleeve) it was placed in the chassis. At this point, we could not resist fitting the propshaft – just to make sure it fitted!

The coming week or so will see the fitting of the beading to the outer edge of the wings, fitting rear lamps, the addition of the bonnet catches and sorting out the fuel tank. Once this is all done, we will be somewhere near to being ready for paint. The burning question now is what colour……..!

]]>SOL – The African Rally Morgan +4 at the Practical Classics Restoration Showhttps://www.holden.co.uk/blog/sol-the-african-rally-morgan-4-at-the-practical-classics-restoration-show/
Fri, 23 Mar 2018 12:28:13 +0000http://blog.holden.co.uk/?p=1752Built in 1955 at The Morgan Motor Company, this car was one of the early Morgans to carry the now familiar traditional Morgan body style that has been in production for over 60 years. Echos of its predecessor, the Flat Rad +4 are still evident in the rear section, where the car carries 2 spare...

]]>Built in 1955 at The Morgan Motor Company, this car was one of the early Morgans to carry the now familiar traditional Morgan body style that has been in production for over 60 years. Echos of its predecessor, the Flat Rad +4 are still evident in the rear section, where the car carries 2 spare wheels vertically behind the rear axle and the fuel tank.

Sadly, little is known of its early history, aside from it ending up near to the Solway Coast, Scotland in the 1970 where, not too long after receiving an exchange TR2 engine from the Standard Motor Company, it was laid up in a barn. This was possibly due to the replacement engine suffering a failure of some sort, as we found a couple of bent push rods on disassembly. We believe that the recorded mileage on the odometer of approximately 75,000 miles is pretty much genuine, as other parts of the car showed little evidence of too much wear.

Fast forward to March 2017, and the car appeared in a listing on a well-known Auction website, very much a restoration project, but looking quite complete. Jeremy Holden, the car’s owner, was the successful bidder and it was decided that the car would make an interesting centre piece for the new showroom of Holden-Morgan, the Midland Morgan Agent, that was founded in the April of 2017.

Towards the middle of the year, information circulated from Rally Round regarding an event that would take place in October 2018 in Africa, going from Dar Es Salaam to Cape Town over 28 days and 7,000 Kilometres. Holden Vintage & Classic are a supporter of Rally Round, and it was felt that it may be interesting to take part in one of their events. The old, tired +4 was an ideal candidate, being rugged, simple mechanically and a vehicle which Holden are familiar with.

The rebuild commenced in earnest at the end of November 2017 with much work being carried out. Far more has been achieved than is currently on display, as the gearbox has been rebuilt, the engine is all but finished, brakes have all been fitted, as has the steering. These components have been removed currently for final finishing and painting, and for the wings to be fitted. The engineless chassis being far easier to manoeuvre around the Workshop than a complete car!

The next step is to fit the bonnet, and then to remove all the panel work and send it to the paintshop during which time the mechanical side will be completed ready for the finished body work.

New showing: The Bromyard Speed Festival – On Tour to Shelsley Walsh, 8th April 2018

]]>The Restoration of ‘Sol’ The African Rally Morgan +4 (Chapter 1)https://www.holden.co.uk/blog/sol-the-african-rally-4/
Fri, 09 Feb 2018 13:52:21 +0000http://blog.holden.co.uk/?p=1682Sol – so named because of its resting place for the past 40 or so years – The Solway Firth – and the incredible coincidence that the previous owner ‘s Grandfather had once owned The Solway Lass, a 2 masted Schooner on which Jeremy had once sailed around the Whitsunday Islands!! Those of you who...

Sol – so named because of its resting place for the past 40 or so years – The Solway Firth – and the incredible coincidence that the previous owner ‘s Grandfather had once owned The Solway Lass, a 2 masted Schooner on which Jeremy had once sailed around the Whitsunday Islands!!

Those of you who read MOG magazine will have already seen several instalments entitled ‘The Road to Africa’ which cover the beginnings of our story, but for those who have not, here goes….

The tale begins in March of 2017 as the plans to create ‘Holden Morgan’ the Midlands Morgan Agent, were coming to fruition, Jeremy Holden was casting his eyes around for a project, ideally as a competition car with historic circuit racing in mind, most importantly however, it had to be a Morgan. A marque with which he was more than familiar having owned several over the years, mostly competition cars for hillclimbs and circuit races, although one Moss Box +8 was used as an Historic Rally Car.

The link between Holden Vintage & Classic and Rally Round provided the inspiration in the form of details regarding an event for historic cars, starting in Dar es Salaam and finishing in Cape Town 28 days later – the perfect event – only a car meeting the required criteria was needed. It had to be something relatively simple yet rugged and reliable mechanically, ideally it needed to carry 2 spare wheels, have space for spares etc, and a decent fuel capacity, plus it HAD to be a Morgan!

Amazingly, and as with a previous Holden Project, Ebay provided the solution, although unlike the previous project (Julian’s 2CV) this one stood absolutely no chance of passing an MOT the day after collecting it. The car then, was a 1955 Morgan +4, sad and down-at-heel looking, but most importantly, complete. This ticked nearly all of the boxes – strong and reliable Triumph TR engine, straight forward Moss gearbox and leaf sprung live axle, durable steel chassis and flexible yet strong ash body frame, carried the all important twin spare wheels vertically at the back, a decent size tank, but room to make a larger one if needed.

After a few nervous days, Jeremy ended up the winning bidder, and sallied forth to Scotland with the trailer to collect his prize. It turned out in conversation with the seller that there was, as mentioned at the head of the page, a connection in the form of a sailing boat on the opposite side of the world, and hence the car being named SOL.

During the course of the journey south, many years of storeage in the damp Solway environment proved too much for the frail side rails and the chassis gave way, the middle of the car settling down on the trailer leaving more than the required 4 contact patches with the ground. On arrival at Holden Vintage & Classic, and following a quick assessment, a plan was hatched to put the car on display in the shop, which was eventually accomplished with the addition of a set of castor wheels to act as a trolley for the chassis and a trolley jack to lift it.

During its resting period in the shop the car dried out significantly, depositing several piles of flakey rust and timber residue on the floor. It was noted during this time, that although not in the best of states, the car was very complete and surprisingly original, having a correct TR2 engine, all of its original instruments, a complete set of 16 inch steel wheels and was among the earliest cars to carry the traditional Morgan shape that has become so recognisable.

Fast forward now to July and the car has been moved out of the Shop to make way for new cars, its resting place the Holden Morgan Workshop, where work began in earnest to dismantle and carefully assess exactly what we had and formulate a plan for the ensuing rebuild.

The engine and gearbox were removed, together with the body frame and bulkhead, all this being accomplished in a manner that has been seen by very few cars! The engine was taken to one side and carefully disassembled, photographed and videoed using among other gadgets a time-lapse camera. The footage being assembled for display purposes at the Run for the Hills event. With the major mechanicals and the body removed, it was possible to see the extent of the corrosion and the work required to reconstruct the chassis. As it was by now August and the weekend of the Run for the Hills event was fast approaching, an event where Holden Morgan, along with all the other UK Morgan Dealers, would have a display stand. Sol would take pride of place, with a TV screen mounted on the front crosshead showing the video of the dismantling process, and to act as a centrepiece of the Holden stand, as well as to unveil the project to Morgan owners and enthusiasts.

In order to provide enough support to the chassis for the weekend, our ever helpful neighbours at Active Fabrication manufactured a pair of part side rails and a cross member to prop it all up, as well as producing a couple of brackets to hold the TV screen. Helpfully, these mounted on the cross head and meant no extra holes were drilled!!

Following on from the Run for the Hills event, the chassis was stripped completely and sent to GEE Ltd in Nailsworth. GEE specialise in the restoration and supply of structural steelwork components for Morgans and were not at all fazed by the chassis. In fact, they were more than happy to help, and came up with a few useful suggestions on how to strengthen the chassis at critical points and how best to increase the ground clearance. A necessity for a car heading ‘off the beaten track’!!

While GEE were performing miracles with the chassis, Steve Barnes at VSM was called upon for advice regarding the body frame and sheet metal work. Sadly, all of this was deemed to be beyond economic salvation and a new ash frame commissioned, once completed, this was expertly panelled by Steve at VSM, who at the same time made a new bulkhead and pair of front valances.

All of this work was completed by the aforementioned outside specialists leaving little to do in the Workshop, although the engine that had been the focus of the disassembly video for Run for the Hills had been sent away to Mike Jones Engines in Leominster for any necessary machine work to be undertaken. At this point, a second ‘Project’ Car enters our story, as Holdens purchased, at Auction, another +4, this time a 1953 ‘Interim’ car – so called because the front end styling was a half way house between the Flat Rad +4 and the traditional shape of Sol. This car was fitted with a more desirable (for Sol) but non original TR3 engine which offered certain improvements over our TR2, not least of which was a high port cylinder head, giving a performance improvement. It was decided therefore to do a swap and use the TR3 engine for Sol and fit the more correct TR2 to the interim car. The TR2 was retrieved from Mike’s Workshop and the TR3 delivered. Progress with the rebuild is ongoing!

Towards the end of November there was a repaired, strengthened and slightly modified chassis on the Workshop floor, together with a body frame and a bulkhead and front valances. During the course of the chassis work, the Morgan suspension guru’s at SSL got involved, working out spring rates and damper types and settings to offer improved control over the suspension system of the finished car, which incorporated a special frame over the rear axle to allow fitment of twin adjustable shock absorbers to each side of the rear axle. This has become known as ‘The Coffee Table’ due to its shape and is designed such that it does not compromise the rear luggage board behind the seats. GEE and SSL between them had come up with suitable bracketry to mount all of this as well as the lower plates to attach the leaf springs to the rear axle, and as these parts arrived with the chassis, little time was lost in bolting plates and springs to the axle with longer and stronger than standard U-bolts. Before any work could commence, the bare chassis was set up on a pair of tressles to get the whole thing at an appropriate height to work on. Fortunately, GEE had pre aligned and drilled the front crosshead to the chassis , which saved a fair amount of time in getting the critical chassis alignment correct.

First thing was to assemble the leaf springs to the rear axle with the U-bolts and lower plates which then slotted neatly into the chassis and the body frame placed on top. Modification to the inner rear wheel arches was necessary to allow the body frame to fit around the Coffee Table. These were marked out and cut with a most useful battery circular saw. Having got the coffee table in place, the body was refitted and the bulkhead placed into the chassis with the body frame pushed against this to give a close fit. At this point the whole lot was clamped down using G-clamps to hold it all in place and holes drilled for bolts. Front valances, or inner wings, soon followed in a similar way being clamped into place and checked carefully before drilling holes.

The next step was to make up some floor boards. We measured the thickness of the remnants of the old floor boards that we had and set out to source similar material. Bromyard Timber stocked a size of exterior grade ply that was of the correct, or at least the metric equivalent of the size we required. Again our trusty battery saw was put to good use cutting out the boards after measuring and marking out on the bench.

To recap, we now have a body frame mounted to a chassis, with a bulkhead, inner wings, rear axle fitted and floor boards made.

What next then?

By now, the festive season was but a distant memory and attentions turned towards some of the other parts we may need. A list was drawn up of things such as front stub axles, brakes, rear brakes, handbrake mechanism, rear hubs, plus numerous other small parts required, all of which were ordered from the Morgan Factory Spares Department. Whilst the Factory were busy assembling this collection of parts, we had to sort out the fitting of an engine and gearbox. The only issue here being that both Sol’s engine and gearbox were away being rebuilt, the engine by Mike Jones in Leominster and the gearbox by Techniques Morgan in Hertfordshire. Fortunately, the whereabouts of a redundant TR block was known of and this, combined with the gearbox from Holden’s Interim car, kindly loaned for a while, provided the necessary combination to fit to the chassis to align engine mounts, pedals , sort out the propshaft length etc.

The major order of parts from the Factory was soon with us, and included all manner of components – front stub axles, brake discs, wheel bearings and seals, steering track rods, track rod ends, plus rear brake back plates and brake drums! When ordering the stub axles, an early decision was made to upgrade to 4/4 stub axles, as these offered greater strength than the original +4 type which had a tendancy to break under the stresses of competition work, something that was discovered in period, hence the reason for the original Supersports and later cars being fitted with stronger front stub axles. First job here was to ream the bushes in the stub axles to ensure the king pins were a correct fit, accomplished here in the Holden Workshop with a fixture fitted to the large pillar drill we have and a suitable machine reamer driven very slowly to provide the correct finished size. Next step was to fit the new wheel bearings and inner hub seal to the correct 4 stud hubs which had been sourced from GEE, then to assemble the front suspension onto the chassis. As the rear axle was already in place, it was a simple matter of placing the complete back plate assembly onto the axle end (far easier and quicker than trying to remove, refurbish and overhaul 50 odd year old components!), especially as the rear brakes have barely changed since Sol was built!

We now had a bodied chassis with front end sheet metal work in place, plus an engine and gearbox installed, onto which we could now put wheels. Sol was beginning to look more and more like a car!

A decision had been made to fit a scuttle roll hoop to provide greater structural integrity to the body and chassis at the point where the door hinges hang, so one was sourced via another Morgan Specialist. Sadly, this was not of the correct dimensions for a 1950’s era Morgan so we decided that, rather than try to modify something which was nicely made and finished we would be quicker and easier to make a new one, using the incorrect one as the basis of a pattern. Jeremy had a contact no more than a couple of miles from his home who had suitable tube bending equipment and was able to bend up a hoop to the required dimensions for us. At this point, Sol made her first journey on her own wheels, being moved to the neighbouring and aforementioned Active Fabrication who made the base plates and welded the scuttle bar together for us. Whilst in their workshop, Active Fabrication made a pair of storage boxes to fit in the space immediately in front of the rear axle and to each side of the propshaft, one for tools / spares and the other to carry the battery. They also produced an enlarged tool box to fit on the bulkhead top, one with a hinged lid that again can be used for spares and tools. Space for such items is going to be fairly limited, so it is necessary to maximise the use of every space we have.

Fabrication work completed and Sol made another journey, this time back to the Holden Workshop where the handbrake cables were fitted, together with the timber work that will support the fuel tank and the spare wheel carrier was also fitted at this time. Essentially now Sol is ready to have wings fitted and the bonnet made, but as there was to be a slight time delay, the decision was made to disassemble the car and send the main structural components away for powder coating. Thus the whole thing was reduced to a pile of components, ensuring that all the holes that needed drilling had been done and the chassis, front crosshead, ‘Coffee Table’ and spare wheel carrier were all sent out to County Powdercoating for a coat of satin black.

As I write this, we are awaiting the return of the finished powdercoating so that the build can commence in earnest…….